The Dodo Archive

Slumping SeaWorld Parades Penguins In Front Of Stock Exchange

Just one day after SeaWorld's 50th anniversary party featuring live penguins was cancelled at an upscale restaurant in Manhattan, the controversial company headed downtown to the New York Stock Exchange, where they flaunted the penguins anyway. SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. (SEAS) rang the Closing Bell at 4 pm.

This isn't the first time penguins have been seen on the trading floor -- last April, CEO Jim Atchison and several other stockholders rang the Opening Bell, bringing penguins, an otter and a lemur with them.

Activists have slammed SeaWorld in the past for exposing animals to flash photography and loud noises (like the ringing of the Closing Bell), saying that events like these cause "tremendous stress both during transport to the venue and while surrounded by loud music."

SeaWorld has aggressively tried to spin away a year of bad publicity in the wake of the documentary "Blackfish." culminating in a number of high-profile artists canceling appearances at SeaWorld. There's also been much speculation that the film has hurt SeaWorld's bottom line -- a Wall Street Journal MarketWatch column observed in November that "The more people see the film ‘Blackfish,' the deeper stock of SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. dives." Its stock has dropped roughly 26 percent, from $38 to $28, over the past six months, as "Blackfish" aired repeatedly on CNN, and received raves from critics. It's expected to be nominated Thursday morning for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary category.